MIDLAND, MI — In 2008, Kyle Farmer was the typical high school senior, playing baseball and getting ready for college.

And trying to look his coolest when Sandra Bullock told him he looked too big to be a quarterback.

Kyle Farmer

"She's smoking hot, and I don't care if people hear that," Farmer said. "Maybe she'll read it and give me a call."

The 6-foot, 200-pound Farmer is a catcher for the Great Lakes Loons and one of the top prospects for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But before the Dodgers and even before he became one of the top players for the Georgia Bulldogs baseball team, Farmer was a movie star.

Farmer, 23, played the quarterback on NFL player Michael Oher's football team during practice in the movie "The Blind Side" starring Bullock. The movie focused on Oher and his relationship with his adoptive mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy.

"A friend of mine asked me what I was doing and said they were looking for a quarterback for this movie," Farmer said. "The big thing for me was that I couldn't get paid because of the NCAA, and I was going to Georgia.

"I played quarterback in high school (Atlanta Marist). We got to the state finals, but we lost."

View full sizeSandra Bullock won an Academy Award for her performance in The Blind Side, shown here during a practice scene.Courtesy Photo

So Farmer, who helped the East Cobb Yankees win the Connie Mack World Series in 2008, did his best to help Bullock win an Academy Award for her work in The Blind Side.

"I'll never take for granted the work actors do," Farmer said. "They filmed it at Westminster Schools in Atlanta, and I got there at 6 a.m. to study the playbook. We didn't get done shooting until 6 at night, just filming play after play to take advantage of the light.

"I'm the first quarterback you see in the yellow jersey, and you hear my voice. I never got sacked. They didn't want me to get hurt."

There were the occasional distractions. Farmer was able to meet and talk to Bullock, as well as Oher.

And, during the filming, his mother, Rachel Farmer, interrupted a shot, asking them to stop so that Farmer would not lose his college eligibility.

"My mom comes running down the stands, telling them to stop because I can't get paid," Farmer said. "The producers and directors all told her they knew and that I wasn't getting paid. It's funny, but my mom and Mrs. (Leigh Anne) Tuohy were in the same sorority (Kappa Delta) at Ole Miss.

"That's how my dad (Bryan) met my mom. My uncle (Joe Gex) was the catcher on the Ole Miss team and my dad was the pitcher. He told my dad his sister needed a date to a sorority dance."

Farmer didn't expect to follow his uncle's baseball path behind the plate, but when the Dodgers drafted him in the eighth round of the 2013 draft, he knew he was going to move from shortstop to catcher.

"I had never caught before, but the Dodgers worked me out and told me not to bring my infielder's glove," Farmer said. "They worked me out totally as a catcher. I liked it. It's not an unusual move. There are a lot of infielders who move to catcher. Maybe they liked my arm or my feet.

"I'm not the quickest or fastest guy around, so being a catcher kind of fits me."

Farmer did hit a triple in the Loons' 8-4 win in their home opener Tuesday against Cedar Rapids. In four games, Farmer is hitting .333 with five RBIs, four runs and two triples.

He also threw out his first baserunner in Tuesday's 8-4 win.

"It's going to come for him, and he's making incredible progress considering this is his first full season as a catcher," Great Lakes Loons manager and former Major League catcher Bill Haselman said. "I didn't start catching until I was 20 or 21 years old either.

"The big thing for him is just to get games in. You can practice blocking pitches and doing all of that, but the best way is to catch in games.

"I try to help him, telling him to try this or try that ... but I don't want to force him to drink out of a fire hose. He needs to retain what he's told. So far, so good."

Farmer appreciates the advice, even though he'd rather hear "You're too big to be a quarterback" from Sandra Bullock then "So far, so good" from a 47-year-old former Major League catcher.

"It was a great experience," Farmer said. "Meeting Sandra Bullock, talking to her in person, that's something you'll always remember."